Battle Of Hudson

With it being a very busy Saturday in the league, we figured we’d throw out some other extra stuff as well from other games:

–Toronto captain Mats Sundin’s two goals in his team’s 3-2 home loss to the Flyers gave him 20 for the season- making it the 17th consecutive season the 35 year-old Swedish pivot has scored at least 20 in his brilliant NHL career.

Sundin, who was taken first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989 has tallied 408 of his 543 with the Maple Leafs since coming over in a trade for Wendel Clark. No.543 last night moved him past Stan Mikita into sole possession for 25th on the NHL’s all-time goalscoring list.

Swedish Finisher A Magnificent Mats (Most Consecutive Seasons of at least 20 goals-or-more)

Gordie Howe 22 seasons

*Brendan Shanahan 18 seasons

Marcel Dionne 17 seasons

Brett Hull 17 seasons

Mats Sundin 17 seasons

+Jaromir Jagr 16 seasons

*still active needing five goals to reach 19 straight

+active and needs nine more for 17 in a row

–Emergency third string goalie Ty Conklin continued his amazing story stopping all 35 Panthers shots in backstopping the suddenly surging Pens to a 3-0 shutout- their sixth consecutive win.

The 30 year-old journeymen who’s with his third organization in two years has been utterly brilliant since being recalled from AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In six straight starts, he’s allowed only eight goals. In fact, he’s now seven-for-seven when he gets the nod in net for Pittsburgh, which trails first place New Jersey by just a point.

“Its nice, mostly because the team’s been plying so well,” Conklin told the Associated Press after yesterday’s latest stellar performance. “Everything’s a lot more fun when you win.”

“When you have a goalie that can make the saves, he’s giving you a chance to win, and this is what he’s doing right now,” Pens’ coach Michel Therrien added.

It sure is a lot simpler when you’ve got a hot goalie. That it would come from such an unlikely source due to a high ankle sprain which has sidelined starter Marc-Andre Fleury makes it even more special for the Penguins.

Conk-ering All (Ty Conklin this season with Pens)

8 GP 7 GS Record: 7-0 2.00 GAA .939 Save Pct 2 SHO

–With another goal (No.32) plus two assists, Calgary captain Jarome Iginla remained red hot in leading his Flames to a 6-4 win over the NHL’s worst team the LA Kings.

After a slow start under new coach Mike Keenan, the admirable 30 year-old power forward has turned it up carrying his team to wins in 11 of their last 14 to move up to 49 points- one fewer than division leader Vancouver.

In fact, when Iginla tallies, the Flames have a pretty good record this season improving to 16-4-3 after last night.

Iginla Lighting The Lamp With Regularity (A breakdown of Iginla’s goalscoring this season)

October 12 GP 8 goals

November 14 GP 5 goals

Two month total 26 GP 13 goals

Since Dec. 1 17 GP 19 goals

Notes:

–Iginla has only failed to score a goal in five of the 17 games.

-The Calgary franchise has six multi-goal games during the stretch including a hat trick in a 9-6 win over Tampa Bay on Dec.13.

-Included was a five-game goalscoring streak from 12/11 – 12/18 in which he lit the lamp eight times.

-The goal last night made it three straight games with a goal (5 total). He’s tallied eight times in the last six contests.

More Iginla (Goalscoring leaders for 2007-08 season)

Ilya Kovalchuk, Atl 33 goals

Jarome Iginla, Cgy 32 goals

Alexander Ovechkin, Wsh 32 goals

–With his OT winner in a 2-1 victory over the Islanders, Marek Svatos continued his bounce back season. After scoring only 15 times in 2006-07, the 25 year-old Avs’ right wing already has one more goal than he did in 66 games last year.

Svatos has three goals in his last two games and six in his past seven.

Marek’s Turnaround In 2007-08

2006-07 66 GP 15 goals

2007-08 38 GP 16 goals

Let’s face it folks. This team just can’t get it done against a Western Conference opponent. Heck. They couldn’t even beat a bad Oilers team which once again failed to win in regulation even though the Rangers tried their best to hand them the game.

Only a last second tying goal by Mr. Clutch, Chris Drury off a brilliant stop of a hard Jaromir Jagr pass with Henrik Lundqvist pulled for an extra attacker allowed the Blueshirts to come away with a brownie point at Rexall Place.

Before the game, leading goalscorer Brendan Shanahan talked about the lack of discipline his team had in their recent shutout loss in Vancouver. Then Shanny took a dumb slashing minor which led to the Oilers’ first power play goal by Jarret Stoll.

The ill advised penalties continued in the third period when Ryan Hollweg foolishly boarded Shawn Horcoff from behind being assessed a match penalty and automatic game misconduct and probable suspension, especially given the energizer’s reputation.

While it’s true No.44 tried to let up, he still nailed Horcoff from behind and the Oiler center was in a prone position. So, you can certainly understand why he was ejected from the game.

It was totally unnecessary and came at an inopportune time for his team who very well could’ve won the contest in regulation if not for some splendid netminding from Mathieu Garon (29 saves).

That the major was followed by a Martin Straka hold only 15 seconds later summed up another mystifying night for this underachieving team.

Of course, the Oilers made them pay the price as Ales Hemsky setup Horcoff on the doorstep for his 17th with 8:31 left.

Sadly, the Rangers weren’t done taking silly penalties. Jagr got into the act with a lazy trip with 3:48 remaining which easily could’ve meant no point. And on a night when other teams such as the Flyers, Bruins and Pens all won, the Rangers needed that point.

That’s what it’s come down to for this club. Against a team which sucked ass on home ice ranking dead last on the man-advantage. But here were the Rangers staring up at the scoreboard despite outshooting another opponent (31-25).

The saving grace was that Joni Pitkanen took a penalty with 62 seconds left giving the Rangers a power play. With Lundqvist pulled, they worked the puck around forever before Jagr found Drury, who got them a point by stopping the puck with his shin before depositing his 11th with seven seconds left.

After another needless undisciplined penalty- this time a Blair Betts goalie interference in overtime, Lundqvist made a couple of big stops and then Stoll went to the box for interference off a faceoff.

Anyone who’s followed the Oilers slightly knows that they’ve been money in the shootout all season. So the Rangers really needed to go for the kill on their late PP. Instead, they passed the puck around during a dreadful 4-on-3 even with Straka failing to keep a puck in at the point for an offside. Un-freaking-believable!

This team flat out sucks right now! When are they finally going to show some urgency and wake the hell up already?!?!?!?!?!

Especially on a day where the first place Devils somehow didn’t win or even get a point because Tim Thomas (19 third period stops, 42 overall) flat out stoned them, this was a chance to pickup two on their Hudson rivals.

But instead, they chanced it to the skills competition where Tom Renney couldn’t even use his best shooter in Shanahan because he suffered a left knee injury when he collided with big power forward Dustin Penner late in the third.

Even the goalie let the team down in this one. Was anyone surprised given how pedestrian Lundqvist has looked the past month that he would let rookie Sam Gagner’s wrister sneak through his pads?

That’s how they lost. Of course Jagr was denied by Garon who somehow was turned into Patrick Roy by this Broadway gang which can’t shoot straight.

I’m sick of Marcel “One Goal” Hossa. Ryan Callahan was a healthy scratch. He really needs to be sent down on a conditioning assignment to regain lost confidence.

When is our genius of a coach going to recall Nigel Dawes??? He of course factored into both Wolf Pack goals in a 3-2 home defeat to Lowell.

What else does the kid who put up as many points as Zach Parise in the 2003 WJC have to prove to get a fair shake? This team has zero secondary scoring right now.

Is it going to take a foolish trade where Dawes morphs into a Brian Gionta clone cause I can totally see that happening?!?!?!?!?!?!

Speaking of Gionta, he is the definition of a dirty player. All those sneaky hacks are starting to catch up as he’s being nailed for it a lot more this season. And did anyone see that crazy finish at TD Bank Garden where No.14 and Boston captain Zdeno Chara were at each other’s throats as the buzzer sounded? Slashes and all sorts of illegal stickwork were being done.

And why you ask? Because of the stupid instigator. Does anyone really think Gionta would be able to get away with all the stuff he does in front of opposing nets? And Chara’s stick coming dangerously close to the Mighty Mite’s neck was ridiculous. How dirty does it have to get?

If anyone wants a good read, try to pickup THN’s Top 60 Game Changing Moments. No.52 is appropriately entitled, “Goon Hockey Is Done” and has plenty on the lack of accountability where players sticks continue to come higher. There’s little respect today as compared to the game before the big change came into place starting in the 1992-93 season.

If you want to learn about the history of the game, pick up this special issue as it’s very well written. I’ve gotten through the first 10 thus far.

Also, if you haven’t picked up THN’s Top 60 Post Expansion Era, please do.

End of period two: Excellent period by the blueshirts leads to a 1-0 deficit. What bad luck the Rangers are having recently. Shanahan took a bad retaliation penalty after a non call on a slash, he turned around and hacked the Edmonton player and the ref saw that one. On the ensuing power play, Drury blocked the shot from the point with his stick, but it fluttered over Lundqvist’s shoulder. Later on in the period, Sean Avery added to the post hitting spree that the Rangers are going on, after Garon was down and out of the play. Avery’s backhander hit the post or crossbar, keeping the Rangers off the board. Jagr was also stoned by Garon, who is playing a fantastic game. Other than that play, Jagr hasn’t had a very strong game. The Dubinsky, Hossa, Prucha line is playing well and has generated some opportunities, and the fourth line is up to their usual tricks, working hard and creating scoring chances. The energy is there, the scoring is not. Story of the season for the Rangers.

End of period one: Good back and forth period by both teams. Jaromir Jagr and Chris Drury each hit a post, Mattieu Garon robbed Shanahan and Lundqvist made some tough saves. There were a few bad penalties called for each team, Brandon Dubinsky got called for a weak trip, and Joni Pitkinen for holding the stick. The tempo was fast paced and there were a few good hits. Let’s hope the Rangers keep up this energy through the remaining 40 minutes.

The Rangers take on the Oilers in a few minutes, so let me get some info out to everyone. Henrik Lundqvist is back in net and Brendan Shanahan is back on the second line. In an even better move, Jason Strudwick replaces Marek Malik on the blueline. Malik took the news very well, by storming out of the Edmonton arena with no particular place to go.

Tom Renney was unsure of who was coming out of the lineup to make room for Shanahan as of this entry. All 13 forwards were skating in the pregame, and everyone is healthy. I say give Ryan Callahan a night off. He needs to regain confidence, so maybe a stint in Hartford would be beneficial.

I’ll check in like I did the other night, hopefully between each period. A much needed win is at stake tonight. Enjoy the game.

So on an underachieving team which has exactly the same secondary scoring epidemic which plagued them last year, how is it actually humanly possible that Nigel Dawes continues to get the shaft from the Ranger organization?

At the halfway mark fresh off the latest disappointing loss (shutout 3-0 at Vancouver despite outplaying them for large portions) against a Western Conference foe, these “new and improved” Rangers have scored exactly 100 goals (2.44 average) and given up 101 (2.38 GAA). Pretty mediocre for all the great expectations they had.

In fact, not one Blueshirt shows up in the NHL’s top 30 in scoring as of today Jan.4, 2007.

Who’s fault is it? Is it coach Tom Renney who’s attention to every detail continues to dress Marcel “1 goal” Hossa while Nigel Dawes (5 goals in 21 GP) is sent back to Hartford where he continues to tear up the AHL and doesn’t belong? How else to explain the former 2003 fifth round pick’s continued torrid scoring pace with the Wolf Pack where he’s scored 11 goals and 30 points in just 18 contests?

What does the 21 year-old from Manitoba have to do to earn a spot on Renney’s roster? Somehow, in 20 fewer games, his five goals place him sixth among Ranger forwards ahead of Hossa, Petr Prucha (4 goals) and struggling right wing Ryan Callahan (no pts in last 23 since goal on Opening Night).

Would anybody care to take a guess at who the forwards are ahead of him?!?!?!?!?!

We’re going to exclude the hardworking fourth line of Ryan Hollweg, Blair Betts and club enforcer Colton Orr because they show up every night and continue to have solid chemistry providing energy.

How is budding rookie pivot Brandon Dubinsky supposed to put up points when his linemates can’t finish around the net? The 2004 second round pick certainly is progressing. Shouldn’t he have another scoring wing who can hit the net with regularity by now?

Not in the Ranger organization apparently where absurd logic seems to prevail when they’re supposed to be challenging for the East’s best record and a championship. Instead, they’ve been up and down with something definitely lacking which explains why through 41 games, we don’t even know if this team will survive in this ultracompetitive conference.

Should they make the playoffs? Absolutely. But unless Renney’s club starts kicking it into another gear, there will continue to be lingering doubts about how far a team with Jaromir Jagr can go in the Spring.


There’s over a month left before the NHL trade deadline. That should be enough time for the organization to gauge if they’re good enough or need a necessary change to improve.

Now all they have to do is come away with an actual win against a Western opponent tomorrow in Edmonton. Will it happen?

In a game that started out with great physical play and featured some stingey defense, the Rangers were on the wrong side of a 3-0 shutout. Steve Valiquette let in a soft goal from the goal line, much like Henrik Lundqvist let in last night in Calgary, early on in the second period. Daniel Sedin added a two on one goal with brother Henrik that just squeezed through Valiquette’s legs, and then Jason Jaffrey added a goal off of a terrible Marek Malik penalty at the end of the third period.

Tom Renney’s return to Vancouver was not a pleasant one, even though the Rangers looked like the better team throughout much of the game. Blair Betts and Martin Straka both played fantastic games, but like the rest of the team, they didn’t find the back of the net. The closest the Rangers came to a goal was a left post hit by Jaromir Jagr. Petr Prucha had some good opportunities, as did Marcel Hossa. Ryan Callahan was almost non-existant on the second line, and Sean Avery wasn’t up to any of his usual antics.

Steve Valiquette is a capable backup, but tonight he showed some flaws. It’s hard to win games when you don’t score though, so even if the two softies that he let in were taken away, the Rangers still would have lost the game.

Dan Girardi took a few stitches on his left cheek after catching a Ryan Kesler stick to the face, but was right back on the ice in the third period.

It’s hard to imagine Marek Malik ending the season in a Rangers jersey. The last two nights he has made some boneheaded plays, and he can’t use the excuse of the Madison Square Garden crowd’s booing is throwing him off. He had a nice rush up the ice, got a good shot off, but his lazy penalty sunk the Rangers at the end of the game. His constant turnovers and inability to keep up with the opposition’s fowards without grabbing, tripping or hooking needs to either be addressed, or just ship him out. I have a hard time believing Thomas Pock couldn’t be doing the same thing Malik is doing, at a fraction of the salary.

The Rangers are off tomorrow to travel to Edmonton. Saturday night’s game will be at 10 pm again. The Oilers are no pushover either, and the Rangers need to come away with two points so that this whole western Canada trip isn’t a total loss. Hopefully Brendan Shanahan will be healthy and back in the lineup. Henrik Lundqvist will be back in the cage and we should see some line flopping. Ryan Callahan might need a stint down in Hartford to regain some confidence and the scoring touch that everyone knows he has.

I’ll check in with any news if it breaks tomorrow. If not, catch everyone on Saturday.

— In-game update — Man, I was wrong again. Prucha is in fact in, but not playing on the second line. Ryan Callahan has been moved up to play with Chris Drury and Sean Avery, and Prucha is playing with Marcel Hossa and Brandon Dubinsky. After a period of scoreless play, and Prucha playing well so far, Tom Renney may still make the switch. Callahan is due, as he hasn’t scored since the first game of the season. We’ll see how the rest of the game pans out, but period one was pretty physical, having Ryan Hollweg dropping the gloves a mere four seconds in. I may check in again after the second, if not, talk to you tomorrow.

– – Update – – 9:00 – – Brendan Shanahan is out for tonight’s game, being replaced on the second line by Petr Prucha. Supposedly he experienced some back and neck stiffness throughout last night’s game, and tonight he could barely look around without turning his whole body. Valiquette is still in, and by the looks of it, Malik is too.

Disappointing loss last night by the Rangers as the took on the Flames. One of those rare, bad goals that Henrik Lundqvist let in came back to bite the Rangers as Calgary beat them 4-3. Chris Drury had another stellar night in the faceoff circle, the offense looked like it was coming together and the defense was mediocre, but really should have been better. Just one of those games that you have to chalk up to the other goaltender being better and had Miika Kirposoff not been on his A game last night, the Rangers would have left with the two points.

Tonight’s game gets no easier for the Rangers as they move on to Vancouver to take on the Canucks. Roberto Luongo will be knocking away Rangers’ shots for the ‘Nucks, while Stephen Valiquette gets the nod for the Rangers. Hopefully this forces the Rangers to step up on defense and not do so much running around. Vancouver isn’t as quick as Calgary, but they have their fair share of offensive power up and down the lineup. Marek Malik looked off his game last night again, further fueling speculation that he is being shopped as the trade deadline looms closer.

I have to admit a mistake also, as last night I was certain Petr Prucha would be back in the lineup. He was not, Marcel Hossa was, and anyone who read last night collectively called me a liar. It echoed all the way up the Hudson. Tonight, I will say that he is likely to be in, but I make no guarentees. That’s just to save myself should he not play. Hopefully I did not lose too many faithful fans with this blunder.

Tonight’s game is a late one for us East Coasters. Turn on MSG at 10 to catch the game, and I will check in again tomorrow.

The Rangers had been feeling good about themselves after finishing 2007 with a hard fought 4-3 overtime win last Sunday on home ice.

But they couldn’t keep it going in the first of a challenging three-game Western Canada road swing- falling to Mike Keenan’s Flames 4-3 last night at The Saddledome.

They never led as Hart candidate Jarome Iginla scored twice including a third period tally off a turnover and inept defensive coverage by every Ranger on the ice to restore a two-goal lead.

In perhaps his best game of the season, rookie pivot Brandon Dubinsky was rewarded for some hard work when he completed a give-and-go with Sean Avery to cut the deficit to 3-2 with six and change left.

But a really odd play broke the Rangers’ backs. Off a faceoff, Martin Straka broke free from two Flames and was nearly in on Miikka Kiprusoff but lost control before trying a back pass to Michal Rozsival which didn’t work as the defenseman who struggled all night wasn’t set.

Instead, a hustling Kristian Huselius went the other way off the costly turnover and fooled Henrik Lundqvist with a tricky shot from an extreme angle down near the left boards.

The 25 year-old netminder was apparently expecting a centering pass and caught napping as he wasn’t all the way against the post which allowed the puck to go in.

Just brutal. Totally inexcusable for Lundqvist who’s been less than stellar for about a month now. Maybe it’s the thoughts of a long-term extension which could be happening any day now.

The latest bad goal really hurt because leading finisher Brendan Shanahan tallied with 14 seconds to go. But it would be too little too late as Jaromir Jagr couldn’t get a shot off as time expired.

This was a frustrating defeat because Kiprusoff (29 saves- many timely) totally outplayed Lundqvist. Given some of the quality chances the Rangers generated for the final 22-23 minutes, they easily could’ve been in overtime with at least a valuable point with another up for grabs.

Kiprusoff was that good IMO. He really was sharp and played like the former Vezina winner he is which bodes well for the Flames, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and really playing better hockey.

The other frustrating aspect of this loss was that once again, the Blueshirts came away without a win against a Western Conference opponent. I think that’s now 0-5-1 against the West.

That’s why they continue to trail the first place Devils (now up by three) who had a nice home win (3-2) over the Panthers where their franchise goalie Martin Brodeur shined in making 31 saves to allow Brian Gionta’s five-on-three power play tally to hold up.

Eventually, the Rangers need to break through and it’s not going to be any easier tonight at Vancouver against Roberto Luongo.

One other note from last night’s action: Ilya Kovalchuk scored his league-leading 33rd and assisted on three other Atlanta goals including a Marian Hossa winner during a 5-4 OT win at Carolina.

Kovalchuk has been amazing this season. At the halfway mark, the exciting Russian sniper has 33 goals and 24 helpers for 57 points.

If he gets them into the postseason, he should win the Hart.

If you missed the highlights, be sure to go to yahoo and check out his awesome end-to-end PPG.

Also, John Buccigross appeared on our New York Hockey Report show last night. I’ll link up the archive a little later. Fyi…actually, the link for the podcast appears at the top corner of the left part of our page. So you can just click on the NYHR link with our cool logo!

Many topics were covered including the very successful outdoor Winter Classic which drew the best network TV rating since Wayne Gretzky’s final game. Plus plenty of league stuff as we talked about surprises and the seasons of Kovalchuk and the ageless Nicklas Lidstrom.

Be sure to tune in for our next show. It’s usually every Wednesday between 9 and 10 over at blogtalk radio.

I need to get going now. See ya’ll later.

The Rangers will be making their first trip into Calgary tonight in nearly five years to take on the Flames at 9 pm on MSG2. The Flames are an explosive team who are led by Mike Keenan, winner of the 1994 Stanley Cup with the Rangers.

Henrik Lundqvist will be back in the net against Jarome Iginla and the rest of the Flames. Petr Prucha will also return to the lineup, saying his sore wrist is good enough to shoot again. One player that I’m pretty excited to see for myself is Dion Phaneuf. He’s a big, tough, physical defenseman who loves to play the body. He can also chip in a few points each game, making him a great all around player. He is young and looking for a multi-year deal, and rightfully so.

Newfound chemistry with the first and second lines will undoubtedly become the key element in the Rangers winning tonight’s game. They’ll have to be sound defensively and Lundqvist will have to be on his toes. Should be a good one tonight.

Lundqvist was in the news this morning as well. Him and Glen Sather are supposedly pretty close to hammering out a new contract, which they have until July 1 to come up with before Lundqvist obtains the restricted free agent tag. If no deal is reached before then, any team can steal him away with an offer sheet. Like we saw with Dustin Penner and Tomas Vanek over this past summer, this proves to be incredibly costly. The Rangers not only don’t want to compete with a team offering an obscene amount of money, they don’t want to lose out on him either. Many people around the league are confident there are just some t’s to cross and i’s to dot before the deal gets done.

Enjoy the game, back tomorrow before the Vancouver game.

It came down to the game’s most electricifying player Sidney Crosby against one of the better young netminders this game has to offer in Ryan Miller. Mono y mono.

With the game on his stick, the best the league has to offer already at just 20 years of age in season three wouldn’t allow his team to lose in this well played Hockey Heritage outdoor Winter Classic.

Even with the snow in his eyes, as he calmly carried the puck skating towards Miller, the youngest NHL captain in league history faked left and then pulled to a stop and slipped the puck through the Buffalo goalie’s five-hole to send the Penguins to a thrilling 2-1 shootout victory over the home Sabres before a record crowd of 71,217 screaming spectators at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

“Growing up, I played a lot outside,” the rating 2006-07 Hart winner explained to the Associated Press about the vintage pond hockey he took part in factoring in on his team’s only goal in regulation before deciding it.

“When you see 70,000 people jammed into a stadium to watch
hockey, it’s a good sign. The atmosphere and environment, I don’t think you can
beat that.”

Truer words couldn’t be said about this extraordinary event- the second for the league since 2003 when the Canadiens defeated the Oilers in Edmonton. It was the first such NHL outdoor event in the United States.

“I like facing Sidney. I really want to stop him, obviously,” the losing netminder said after keeping his team afloat with a strong third in stopping all 12 Pens’ shots to earn his team a point. “I thought I made a good play to stay with him. I didn’t think he made quite the play he wanted, but it worked out for him.”

Truthfully, there were no losers on this special day in upstate New York.

“I’d love to do it again. I thought it was awesome,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff pointed out. “It was good for the game. It may not be the best hockey game because of the situation, because of the weather, because of the snow, but the atmosphere was incredible.

“The hell with the cynics.”

Even league commish Gary Bettman came to the same conclusion despite not your ideal conditions. But it sure was fun to watch adding an extra element which fans could appreciate.

“Based on the response, on our ability to execute, and the inquiries we’re getting from other clubs for similar activities, this obviously is something we’re going to look at again,” a pleased Bettman said afterwards.

For former Sabre backup Ty Conklin, it was fitting that he was the winning netminder since the journeyman also took part in the first one when his Oilers fell to the Habs 4-3 before 57,167 on Nov.22, 2003.

The 31 year-old from Anchorage Alaska was very strong in making 36 saves including turning aside 13 of 14 in a busy second to keep the Pens afloat.

In two straight starts against his former team, Conklin allowed only one goal to lead Pittsburgh to a home-and-home sweep. Not too shabby. Plus his glove save on Maxim Afinogenov’s backhand deke in Round Three of the shootout was awesome giving the stage to Sid the Kid to work his magic.

You have to give kudos to all the hard work which was done in preparing the facility, especially keeping the ice playable through wintry conditions.

Here are our three stars:

3rd Star-Brian Campbell (goal, 3 SOG in 24:50 TOI)
2nd Star-Ty Conklin (36 saves)
1st Star-Sidney Crosby (assist and SO winner)

I’m a bit late, as it was a pretty busy weekend, but it was a good weekend to be a Ranger fan. Derek has great wrapups if you scroll down some, so I won’t go into any of that. It’s great to see Jaromir Jagr, Petr Prucha and Chris Drury starting to get going though. The fourth line chipping in with a little offense is good to see too. Brendan Shanahan continues to be everything you expect from a veteran leader and the defense is looking strong. Henrik Lundqvist continues to rebound nicely from his mediocre streakd where he showed signs of being less than a goaltending god and chemistry is looking much better with each line.

All good things to see. Another welcome read that I saw this morning is that everyone’s favorite defenseman, Marek Malik, has said that he is uncomfortable playing at Madison Square Garden, leading Glen Sather into looking into a trade. Even if it is just a salary dump and we get a couple of prospects, I would be ok with it. Jason Strudwick could step back into the lineup and we could call up Ivan Baranka, David Liffiton or Tom Renney’s favorite Thomas Pock. or we could bring back another veteran defender in the trade, preferably an unrestricted free agent. We’ll see.

The Rangers take on the Calgary Flames tomorrow, Vancouver Canucks on Thursday and Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. I’ll be around for those games, and will break any news as it comes.

Happy 2008 to everyone.